A karo na shida a cikin watanni takwas, Celtic sun kasa samun tikitin shiga gasar UEFA Champions League — kuma wannan fita ta iya zama mai zafi fiye da duk sauran na baya.

Sun shiga wasan karshen zagayen cancantar da LASK suna da fifikon kwallaye uku ba tare da amsa daga leken farko a Glasgow ba, kuma Celtic har da sun ci kwallo da wuri a Linz. Kashi uku cikin hudu na wasan ya wuce kuma ƙungiyar Scots tana da iko sosai. Sa'annan suka fadi.

LASK sun daidaita zuwa 4-4 a jimlar minti na 90, amma kwallo ta cin nasara ta bangaren Austriya ta bayyana kamar ta zama tilas bayan hare-hare marasa gajiyawa na rabin lokaci na biyu. Celtic sun rasa iko a tsakiyar filin, an hukunta su saboda kurakurai na mutum ɗaya, kuma a ƙarshe aka mamaye su.

Matsaloli a cikin 'yan wasa

Kyaftin Callum McGregor ya amince cewa Celtic sun yi kama "suna jin tsoro" kuma "sun yi fako" yayin da LASK ke ci gaba da hare-hare sau da sau. Benjamin Nygren, Auston Trusty, da Luke McCowan kowannensu ya aikata kurakurai masu tsada wadanda suka kai ga kara kwallaye kai tsaye.

Tsaron Celtic a lokacin busa fararen sigina ya ƙunshi Anthony Ralston — mai gadi na dama na zabi na uku — Trusty wanda ya rasa horar da cuta, ɗalibin da ba a gwada shi ba daga tsakiyar horar da Dane Murray, da Liam Scales yana wasa a wajen matsayinsa a matsayin mai gadi na hagu.

Tsohon kyaftin na Celtic Scott Brown ya amince cewa manajan Martin O'Neill ya yi daidai wajen karɓar alhakin a bainar jama'a, amma ya ce O'Neill yana kare 'yan wasansa kafin wasan na gaba. Brown ya gaya wa BBC Scotland: "Lokacin da aka wulakanta ku a wasa, kuna buƙatar ɗauke wannan matsin lamba daga 'yan wasan saboda mako mai zuwa suna da wasa wani."

Brown kuma ya gano rashin Arne Engels — wanda aka sayar zuwa West Ham United a lokacin bazara — a matsayin mahimmin abu. Ya ce: "Abin da suke rasa shi ne mai yiwuwa wani dan wasan tsakiya mai ƙarfi na jiki. Arne Engels babban asara ne ta jiki — ba kawai don faɗa ba, amma kafafuwansa, ƙarfin gudu, da kuma tunaninsa ma."

Celtic sun kashe kuɗaɗe masu yawa kan 'yan gaba Kasper Hogh da Camilo Duran wannan bazara, tare da ɗaukar dan wasan tsakiya Mika Baur da fiffike Haissem Hassan. Amma fita na Daizen Maeda zuwa Ipswich Town da Engels zuwa West Ham United ya bar ƙungiyar babu zurfin da ake buƙata a wurare masu mahimmanci.

Hasarar kuɗi

Farashin rasa dama a UEFA Champions League ya wuce gaban kyautar abi kuɗi kawai. Ƙwararren kuɗin kwallon ƙafa Kieran Maguire ya kiyasta cewa giɓin zai zarce fam miliyan 20.

"Ga kowane fam 100 da Champions League ke samarwa a matsayin kyautar gasar, kimanin fam 22 ne a Europa League da kusan fam 11 a Conference League," Maguire ya shaida wa BBC Sport Scotland.

Celtic sun samu kusan fam miliyan 45 a cikin 2024-25 lokacin da suka kai zagayen cancantar na knockout na Champions League. Domin nuna bambanci, ƙungiyar ta ƙara fam 44 fiye da kowane babba a fiket ɗin kwallon ƙafa na wasanni huɗu na Champions League idan aka kwatanta da kamfen na Europa League — tare da bambancin da ya fi girma a cikin kunshin masauki.

Maguire ya lura cewa farashin hannun jarin Celtic ya sauka da kusan kashi 4-5 cikin ɗari nan da nan bayan shan kashi, wanda ke nuna tantancewar kasuwa game da asarar kudade na gaba. Ana sa ran kyaututtukan masu daukar nauyi su yi ƙasa a wajen gasa ta koli ta Turai.

Tasirin faɗi ga kwallon ƙafa ta Scotland

Matsayin Scotland a tebur ɗin rabo na UEFA ya ragu sosai. Tsakanin 2021 da 2023, Scotland ta kai matsayi na tara — matsayi wanda ya tabbatar da bingwan Premiership shiga kai tsaye gasar Champions League ta gaskiya, tare da wanda ya zo na biyu yana buƙatar zagayen cancantar guda biyu a cikin gasar.

Scotland a yanzu tana a matsayi na 18, wanda ke nufin bingwa na wannan kakar zai fara daga zagayen cancantar na biyu na Champions League, yayin da wanda ya zo na biyu zai fara a Conference League. Faɗuwar Celtic a hannun LASK ta ƙara tsananta wannan raguwa.

Duk da haka, tare da Celtic yanzu yana takawa a UEFA Europa League, har yanzu akwai dama ta dawo da maki na rabo. A cikin 2024-25, Rangers sun tara maki 19.750 ta hanyar kaiwa zagayen 16 na ƙarshe na Europa League — fiye da maki 17.70 na Celtic daga zagayen cancantar knockout na Champions League. Kamfen ɗin Turai mai ƙarfi na Celtic wannan kakar na iya dakatar da raguwar har yanzu.